26 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



this connection to note the westward march of the 

 sheep industry since 1840. In that year the States 

 east of the Mississippi held 97.4 per cent, of the total 

 number of sheep in the United States, and produced 

 98 per cent, of all the wool. But in 1890 only 38.3 

 per cent, of the sheep were found east of the Missis- 

 sippi, and but 31 per cent, of the wool clip. Thus in 

 1840 the number of sheep in the East was 18,807,779, 

 and those in the West numbered but 503,595, while 

 in 1890 the conditions were reversed, and we find 

 27,347,631 sheep west of the Mississippi, and but 16,- 

 988,441 to the eastward of that stream. A large pro- 

 portion of the sheep in the West are grazed on the 

 - arid lands, and some flock masters have been so 

 short-sighted as to oppose irrigation enterp'rises for 

 the reason that when the land is rendered arable by 

 irrigation, the free range for sheep would be cur- 

 tailed. But it must be entirely clear to every intelli- 

 gent man that one acre of land properly watered and 

 cultivated will produce more forage for sheep or 

 other stock than a hundred acres in its present arid 

 condition. But even if it be possible, in the interest 

 of a certain class of flock or herd owners to continue 

 free grazing on public lands in the arid belt, it is 

 clearly to the advantage of small owners to graze 

 upon their own land under irrigation, when a civil- 

 ized form of pastoral life may be enjoyed. 



HOP GROWING. 



Hop growers are confronted nearly everywhere by 

 the same general conditions as fruit growers with 

 regard to the need of fighting insect enemies. In 

 England, the hop aphis is an annual visitant, whereas 

 a few years ago their visits were periodical. Profes- 

 sor Whitehead, of Maidstone, states that spraying is 

 now a recognized part of hop culture in England, 

 and without due attention to treatment for aphis 

 good crops of first-class hops would be impossible. 

 The same is true in the United States, though many 

 of our hop growers have the matter of fighting the 

 pest so well in hand, and their appliances for admin- 

 istering remedial agents are so effective, that the old- 

 time terrors of "hop louse" are not so keenly felt. 

 One of the most extensive hop growers in the United 

 States, Mr. E. Meeker, of Puyallup, Washington, in 

 speaking of remedies for hop vermin, says: 



"As to the remedy for damage by vermin, all are 

 now agreed that the whale oil soap and quassia emul- 

 sion is the best. It is the most thorough and withal 

 harmless as regards injury to the foliage or even the 

 hops after they are formed." 



Formula Whale oil soap, 6 to 8 Ibs. ; quassia chips, 

 7 to 9 Ibs. ; water, 100 gallons. Soak the quassia chips in 

 30 gallons of cold water for five hours, then add the 



soap, and after it is fully dissolved strain the liquid 

 thoroughly. 



Mr. Meeker estimates the cost of spraying per acre, 

 where 225 gallons of the emulsion were used on each 

 acre, at $3.77, or for eight sprayings say $30 per acre. 

 His figures of cost, however, are based upon the 

 prices prevailing in the Pacific Northwest, which are 

 somewhat higher than obtain in the hop growing dis- 

 tricts east of the Pacific states. 



HAWAIIAN ISLANDS' RESOURCES. 



The sugar crop of the Hawaiian Islands for 1890 is 

 given by the press of Honolulu at 146,000 tons; 1892, 

 122,000; 1893, 152,000. It is believed that with in- 

 creased irrigation facilities the annual crop may be 

 brought up to 200,000 tons. It is also alleged that 

 some 30,000,000 pounds of rice are annually produced 

 in the islands, of which about two-thirds is consumed 

 by the Chinese and Japanese residents. Good oppor- 

 tunities for engaging in coffee culture are-alleged by 

 those who publish the surprising resources of that 

 region. It is claimed that the quality of Hawaiian 

 coffee is equal to any that is grown in other parts of 

 the world, and that its cultivation may be profitably 

 engaged in on a large scale. Of course, all tropical 

 fruits flourish in Hawaii, and it is also asserted that 

 apples, peaches, plums, grapes and berries do well 

 in selected locations. The Chinese gardener monop- 

 olizes as yet the cultivation of vegetables there as on 

 our own Pacific coast. Potatoes, cabbage, peas, beans, 

 melons, squashes and tomatoes are said to thrive 

 remarkably in most of the islands and to bring 

 good prices in the home markets. 



JAPANESE FARMING. 



It may interest readers of THE IRRIGATION AGE 

 to learn something about farming in Japan. Our 

 Department of Agriculture has lately collected sta- 

 tistics relating to the cereal crops of Japan for 1893, 

 from which we find that the area of wheat harvested 

 was 1,042,948 acres, and the total yield 16,477,373 

 bushels, or at the rate of 15.80 bushels per acre. This 

 is a considerable larger yield per acre than we are 

 accustomed to harvest in the United States as a 

 whole, although in some individual states the yield 

 has often exceeded that given for Japan. The acre- 

 age in barley last year in that country was 1,601,393 

 acres, and the product 36,841,391 bushels 23.01 

 bushels per acre. What is termed " naked barley " 

 was also produced to the amount of 31,834,853 bushels, 

 grown on 1,629,704 acres of ground, and yielding 19.53 

 bushels per acre. The manufacture of toys and other 

 articles of straw, which industries have been carried 

 on in Japan for centuries, enables barley farmers to 



